BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Substantial flooding is expected in areas of the Francis Marion National Forest as water from the Upstate and North Carolina moves south. Officials with the U.S. Forest Service warned this week that the forest will likely see flooding around Highway 45 and along the Santee River as early as Thursday and into the weekend and said people should avoid the area. “We advise exercising caution and avoid occupancy and use of Forest Service land in the area until it is deemed safe to do so,” officials said. Santee Cooper began drawing down Lake Moultrie last week in anticipation of near-historic water flows and increased the volume of spilling to help manage levels. While they said lake levels will rise to normal levels over the next 24-48 hours, some Santee River area flooding would occur. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service issued a flood warning on Tuesday saying minor flooding was occurring and that flooding was forecasted until further notice for the Santee River near Jamestown. The NWS anticipated flooding up to 24 feet. Forest Service officials said the river was at 13.6 feet on Tuesday morning. The river was expected to rise to a crest of 23.9 feet early Saturday morning. Flood stage is 10 feet.